March 29, 2016 - In April, Soy Foods Month, soybeans are cool. That’s the message of Coolbean the Soybean, available as both a traditional and an interactive e-book for grades 3-5.

Author Shawn Conley is an agronomy professor and the Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I wanted to develop a fun, yet educational, tool to help teach today’s youth about where food comes from, career opportunities in agriculture, and explain why soybeans are so important, not only here in the US, but around  the world,” says Conley. “My daughters were the main reason for writing this book, but I also remember being inspired at an early age by my first and second grade teacher, Mrs. Swiggum. Hopefully this book can help inspire the next generation of agricultural scientists.”

The book follows the life of Coolbean the Soybean to help children learn about agronomic, crop and soil sciences. Along the way, Coolbean explains modern farming techniques, how a seed becomes a plant and then produces a crop. The book tells the story of how soil, sunshine, and water affect the growth of the plant.

Coolbean’s content intentionally follows Next Generation science standards. “We chose to follow the format of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) graphic novels and comics because it’s a style that kids are very comfortable with,” says Lisa Al-Amoodi, managing editor. “It also allowed us to package a lot of nonfiction science content into a cool story about a soybean.” 

“It is critical to get kids actively involved and excited about science at an early age, “Conley says. “Coolbean the Soybean is a great vehicle to start that journey!”

Soybeans are one of the most nutritious beans on the earth, making for a healthy food. One-half cup of soybeans has three times more protein than a hotdog! But food is only one aspect of this amazing crop; they are also used in the production of cardboard, cars, crayons and more. Soybeans are the second most planted crop in the U.S., just after corn, and are vitally important to the economy. Soy production accounted for over $40 billion in revenue in 2014.

Coolbean the Soybean is available at www.societystore.org . In celebration of Soy Foods Month, use promo code, SOYFOODS, for 50% off from March 1-April 15. Check your device for compatibility with the epub3 format, supported on iBooks and some Android readers.

The book is published jointly by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America in partnership with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.